And feel free to post your comments below for the benefit of AustAR Labs and its readers.

]]>DNA matching & VR: The world of online dating in 2040http://austarlabs.com.au/dna-matching-vr-the-world-of-online-dating-in-2040/
Mon, 30 Nov 2015 04:36:22 +0000http://austarlabs.com.au/?p=3374How will technology change the way we date over the next 25 years? From full sensory virtual reality dating to DNA matching, researchers explore the possibilities.

Technology has already transformed the dating world, with matchmaking websites allowing people to scope out potential partners before they meet, and apps like Tinder and Happn pairing people based on location. But how will this technological intervention into our romantic affairs play out in the future?

According to a new report, full sensory virtual reality and behaviour-based matching will be among the key features of dating in the year 2040. These developments will save singles time and energy, deliver more accurate matches, and even provide insight and real-time assistance.

The report, commissioned by relationship site eHarmony and compiled by MSc Management students at Imperial College Business School, is based on analysis of more than 100 years of trend data and interviews with leading experts across the fields of anthropology, sociology, technology and biomedicine.

The findings reveal a “super-charged” continuation of today’s online dating trends. People will always want to be matched and ultimately form relationships with like-minded people in the most efficient way possible. What is different is how they will go about it.

“By 2040 we estimate that 70 per cent of couples will get together online, with technology revolutionising the way we find love and build our relationships,” said eHarmony UK country manager, Romain Bertrand.

“From making matches between singles even more accurate based on deep learning of our behaviour, to streamlining the dating process so it’s less time consuming, and even helping couples to enhance their relationships with artificial intelligence, finding the right person will be easier than ever.”

Here are some of the ways that advances in science and consumer technology will redfine the dating world over the next 25 years:

1. Full-sensory virtual dating

The report predicts that, in just 25 years, the rate at which data can be shared will be so fast that all five human senses could be digitally simulated to create a full-sensory virtual reality.

This would make dating a far more efficient and less time consuming process. A full sensory virtual date would be exactly like a real one – you could hold someone’s hand and even smell their fragrance – but all from the comfort of your own home.

It would have the benefit of opening up a global dating pool of people to meet, and redefining what people consider to be a “long distance” relationship. And with advances in wearable technology, they would be able to tap into this VR experience from wherever they wanted.

2. Biotechnology

Biologically, humans are programmed to find people attractive who would be a good genetic match in order to produce the strongest possible offspring, meaning that by studying DNA we may be able to unlock the rules of attraction.

While in recent years DNA research has been cost prohibitive, the price of sequencing DNA from a cell will fall from around £52m in 2003 to £650 by 2040.

Greater affordability will enable more research, and by 2040 scientists may have a clear understanding of the role our own DNA plays in attraction, allowing it to be introduced to the “matching” process.

3. Behaviour-based matching

The growing “hyper-connectivity” between our everyday devices – known as the Internet of Things – together with the prominence of wearable technology could transform how people meet by 2040.

Rather than having to articulate what you are looking for in a partner, matching could become even more accurate through tracking people’s behaviour and how they react to different situations.

For example, smart contact lenses could track the type of people you look at most frequently when your body produces the signs of attraction (measured by hormone levels, pheromone production, etc).

On a deeper level, this technology could identify your core character traits based on physical, chemical and neural signals, such as how you react to conflict or in social situations, and find complimentary matches.

4. Artificial Intelligence

As well as enhancing the date experience, improved connectivity and artificial intelligence will allow for greater “deep learning” by processing of vast amounts of highly complex data from multiple sources.

The speed of this analysis would allow for real-time feedback and therefore dramatically improve the decision making process when it comes to finding love.

Physically, devices could track your actions and find other singles that have a similar lifestyle pattern, tracking data such as the places you go and the activities you do.

While on a date, singles would be able to receive information on their surroundings and actions, such as how well topics of conversation are being received, and an appropriate course of action.

For couples, this data could help improve their relationship by identifying issues and resolutions, and even calculating the optimum time for life milestones, such as when, or if, to get married or have children.

Share your views

Please feel free to share your views on this slightly off-centre AustAR Labs blog. Do you agree with this new world of dating by 2040? Please post your comments below.

]]>Own a VR headset for just $100http://austarlabs.com.au/own-a-vr-headset-for-just-100/
Wed, 11 Nov 2015 20:40:37 +0000http://austarlabs.com.au/?p=3358For the past year, Samsung’s Gear VR headset has been the most approachable virtual reality offering you could buy.

But now, the Gear VR headset is much improved — it’s 19% lighter than its predecessor — and it’s much cheaper, too. So instead of paying $US200+ for the headset, you only need to pay $US99 to own a Gear VR headset.

That’s a great deal, especially if this is your introduction to virtual reality.

Starting Tuesday, you can pre-order the $US99 Gear VR headset through Amazon, Best Buy, or Samsung. The device will ship in just over a week, starting November 20.

I just bought the Gear VR headset. Now what?

If you’re unsure about what you’d actually do with this headset, fear not!

Facebook-owned Oculus VR, which also made the technology that powers the Gear VR headset, also introduced “Oculus Arcade” on Tuesday.

Oculus Arcade comes with 20 classic games, from “Pac-Man” to “Sonic the Hedgehog,” which you can play in a virtual arcade within your Gear VR (or Oculus Rift) headset.

Oculus also offers several made-for-VR games like “Land’s End,” from ustwo Games, the same studio that created the excellent iPhone game “Monument Valley.” You’ll find tons of VR games waiting for you in the Oculus Store.

This is ‘Land’s End’ on Gear VR. It’s gorgeous.

You can also watch movies and videos in your Gear VR headset. You can literally watch everything on Netflix, including original series and documentaries, as well as any movie currently available in the “Oculus Video” catalogue, which has more than 70 feature films as well as access to thousands of videos from Vimeo and live broadcasts from Twitch.

You can also watch these videos with any friends who happen to own a Gear VR or Oculus Rift headset. With “Oculus Social,” you can choose an avatar, find your friends (via Facebook), and watch videos together — regardless of the distance between you and your friends.

If you’re looking for an escape, you can also take a look at Oculus’ great library of 200,000 photos from around the globe that offer 360º views, giving you a taste for how immersive virtual reality can feel.

Virtual reality for $US100? There’s gotta be a catch, right?

Unfortunately, yes, there is a catch to all of this.

Despite this incredible deal for a $US100 Oculus-powered VR headset, Gear VR only works with any Samsung phone released in 2015: that includes the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+, and Galaxy Note 5. If you don’t have one of those phones, you won’t be able to use the Gear VR headset.

If you don’t own one of the Samsung phones listed above, you’ll have to wait until early 2016 to buy an Oculus-powered VR headset. We don’t have any details about pricing or retail availibility for the first-generation Oculus Rift headset, but the company’s founder Palmer Luckey said it will cost more than $US350 — more than 3X the cost of Gear VR.

AustAR Labs now is into VR

Chat to AustAR Labs today about how you can use Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality in your business to engage and win more customers. Call Steve on 0413 530 305 today.

]]>Eight factors to consider before investing in a Mobile Apphttp://austarlabs.com.au/eight-factors-to-consider-before-investing-in-a-mobile-app/
Sat, 31 Oct 2015 02:28:27 +0000http://austarlabs.com.au/?p=3338Thinking of building a mobile app for your business? With an increasing percentage of smartphone users opting to conduct business transactions on their mobile devices, a mobile app seems like a natural progression that will offer your customers a unique experience in an easy-to-use interface.

But considering whether a mobile app is the right move for your business — and how your plan will be carried out if so — is critical.

Below, eight technology executives share what factors your technology team should consider before investing the time — and capital — into building a mobile app.

1. The entire mobile experience

It’s easy to want to build a mobile app; it’s even easier to miss something. One very important piece to consider is the entire user experience. In our case, our mobile app was built for our online custom clothing business. While we built a beautiful app that allowed clients to build and order shirts, we failed to plan for refreshing out-of-stock/new inventory. Make sure to take the mobile experience into consideration before building an app. — Zeeshan Sheikh, Blank Label

2. Device agnosticism

While we like to believe all users will access our mobile applications through the devices we specify, the practical business reality is they will likely need to access these applications via a variety of “non-standard” devices. Where possible, design the apps from a perspective of device agnosticism — independent of specific devices and operating systems. Let business value drive technology decisions. — Alan Dillman, Marbaloo Marketing

3. User acquisition costs

Mobile is quite different and can be challenging to get new installs. You must use user acquisition channels to promote and acquire installs through paid ads. There is an art and science to it, and you have to carefully and constantly measure your CPI (cost per install) versus LTV (lifetime value). If you’re not careful, tons of money can be wasted on bad channels. — Alex Li, Smule, Inc.

4. Opportunities

Sure, apps are everywhere. While it may seem as though all the cool kids have them, it doesn’t mean you should. Be sure to ask yourself, “Would it provide a better service to my customers or open up new opportunities?” If the answer isn’t a resounding “no,” then be sure to evaluate all aspects of it and companies to work with. Consultants love to take advantage of inexperience and an open wallet. — Jonah Harris, MeetMe, Inc.

5. Target Market

Before building a mobile app, step back. Why are we considering this? Who are the people that will use this app? What problems will this app solve for them? Why will they want to use this app? Assuming the answers are clear and you’re moving ahead, then ask, “Can we do this well?” There are lots of bad apps, but keeping your users in mind will ensure you build a good app. — Bryan Knight, ColorJar

6. Cost

Not everyone has the luxury of an in-house mobile app developer. Most small companies will end up outsourcing their app development to a third party. The costs can be huge, both in time invested designing the app and money. Take baby steps. First, make sure your website is fully responsive. Then deploy a small app that essentially wraps the website. If there is traction with the app, then jump in. — Ashley Saddul, Recruiter.com, Inc.

7. Necessity

You need to ask yourself if the demand for a mobile experience is there. Look at the data points you collect with your other online properties to determine if there’s a mobile segment you aren’t supporting. Is there enough feedback from your audience to tell you that a mobile experience is worth moving forward with? Avoid the buzz around “apps” unless you can quantify the demand. — Taylor Dondich, MaxCDN

8. Marketing

Even if you build it, they may not come. That is, unless you have an effective marketing plan in place prior to investing in development. Don’t build it unless you have a unique value proposition and a strong growth strategy. — Gurpreet Singh, TalkLocal

Thoughts … questions

Share your thoughts with AustAR Labs and its followers below. Or if you have any questions on your mobile app development project, then get in touch with us now.

]]>Mobile apps for all businesseshttp://austarlabs.com.au/mobile-apps-for-all-businesses/
Sun, 25 Oct 2015 20:48:05 +0000http://austarlabs.com.au/?p=3326A mobile app isn’t just for the large enterprise anymore. Now they can provide a highly specialised and customised solution for customers of all business sizes.

Until recently the mobile app has been seen as an expensive, time consuming and challenging solution to develop, something that only the large enterprise can afford or implement. This has now changed.

Apps are easy to build and they allow for the small business to develop a solution that is customisable and completely structured around the business and the brand. Through an app, SMEs can create a native environment that captures customer loyalty and keeps them engaged.

A recent study undertaken by the mobile analytics firm Mobidia focused on the use of customised apps in the consumer space and found that an average 48% of Android users shopped online through mobile commerce apps.

The same principles can be applied in the B2B space – create apps that make accessing content, capabilities and features a simple endeavour and you have a solution that keeps your customers coming back for more. It is no longer a question of whether to build an app for the business or the products it sells, but rather what needs to be done to ensure that it is done well.

It is essential that a business app be easy to use. Complex user interfaces with steep learning curves will alienate the customer and are unlikely to keep them engaged. It is also vital that an app be focused on delivering one very specific solution – it’s tempting to try and cram a diverse range of capabilities into one app, but this potentially can result in a confused mess that makes little sense to anyone.

Personalising the experience

When creating an app, especially if it is being developed as part of an overall solution or implementation, adding in layers of personalised content can make all the difference. By adding in layers that are customer or solution specific, the experience becomes a far more compelling one.

The process also does not demand that suddenly the SME spend terrifying quantities of cash on getting apps developed. Mobile app development costs are not as high as many think, and AustAR Labs offers this service at a price point that doesn’t massively impact the bottom line over the long term, especially if an app can be used across multiple customers and installations.

Ultimately, however, the real value lies in keeping customers loyal and engaged and coming back for more and it is in this arena that the app truly shines. It is a tool that can now be used by businesses of any size to boost business capabilities and enhance products and solutions.

Speak to AustAR Labs

Chat to us today about the benefits of your business adding a mobile app. And we’ll work with you on creating an amazing app that your customers will love using. Contact us today.

]]>3 trends that will shape the future of Digital Marketinghttp://austarlabs.com.au/3-trends-that-will-shape-the-future-of-digital-marketing/
Sun, 20 Sep 2015 08:49:54 +0000http://austarlabs.com.au/?p=3308It isn’t hard to predict that future innovations will continue to shape the digital marketing landscape. We are now in a digital era where technologies have disrupted various traditional marketing methods and are continuing to do so.

Let’s look deeper at how three technologies will impact digital marketing in the future.

Before we dive in, here are some statistics:

About 72 percent of marketers worldwide believe that the traditional marketing model is no longer adequate considering the abrupt and constant changes in digital marketing (Mondo).

Mobile and video will be at the heart of customer engagement 3-5 years from now (Mondo).

Predictive analytics and customer-centric objects are key in creating a more individualized marketing experience (NJIT).

By 2020, there will be more than 75 billion devices in use worldwide (Business Insider).

1. Internet of Things (IoT)

Of course, you’ve already heard about the Internet of Things (IoT). According to the TheInternetofThings.eu, the concept behind this vision is simple: a network of physical objects (things) can be used in collecting and exchanging data without human-to-human and human-to-computer interaction. By 2017, each household is predicted to have more than five Internet-connected devices.

Impact on digital marketing: IoT is a really exciting technology; it could be the epitome of convenience. It could also mean greater data control by consumers, whether digital natives or digital refugees. We’re still not sure what, why, how, and when marketers may collect data from these devices – but consumers will not readily give their information without an incentive.

2. Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is not a new concept. You might’ve experienced it without knowing that it actually was augmented reality.

Augmentation refers to a real-time view with augmented elements made possible by computer-generated sensory inputs (i.e. audio, graphics, video, etc.). Apps are good examples of this technology when consumers are presented with brand-related information at a whole new level.

Have you heard of this clothing brand that allows consumers to take a picture of themselves outside the store, dress themselves up with different clothing options, and go inside the store to buy the clothes?

Impact on digital marketing: Augmented reality affects both traditional and digital marketing, and it can really improve how marketers interact with their target consumers.

The keyword here is interact and not necessarily push branding messages. This technology is about giving consumers the experience they want at the time and place they themselves determine.

We can imagine far-reaching changes thanks to augmented reality, especially now that Microsoft is planning to take over the digital world once more with its HoloLens.

3. Wearables

While we are seeing lots of wearables these days (e.g., the Apple watch), the wearable technology industry is far from saturated. These technologies may be considered critical elements of IoT and augmented reality for personal, commercial, and industrial use.

The basics like smartwatches may not be life-changing, but there are many other wearable technologies that are currently in beta and will be launched a couple of years from now.

Impact on digital marketing: Wearable technologies – considering that very few people can access them now – will gain real traction in about 3-5 years. When they do, however, digital marketers will be able to capitalize on our attitudes, behaviors, patterns, and trends. These technologies are interwoven in the daily lives of consumers, hence tracking will be much easier.

Virtually all of the technologies listed here are already disrupting both the traditional and digital marketing landscape. We have yet to witness the full extent of how emerging technologies will affect marketing, but one thing is clear: Marketers need to adapt and scale their current strategies based on what technologies their target consumers are using.

If this is done right, marketers will have a better chance at capturing customer details, creating creative campaigns, and boosting online presence. We are in the digital era; the choice is to adapt or lag behind the tech-savvy competition.

Your thoughts

]]>Infographic: How and why shopping is moving to the Smartphonehttp://austarlabs.com.au/infographic-how-and-why-shopping-is-moving-to-the-smartphone/
Sun, 30 Aug 2015 22:20:26 +0000http://austarlabs.com.au/?p=3300The team at DirectBuy has released their latest infographic — a visual that paints a striking portrait of just how influential mobile has become in the world of online shopping.

“Today,” a written statement reads, “there are currently 1.91 billion smartphone users, with 82 percent of them using mobile devices to shop. And since consumers are 5 times more likely to abandon shopping if the site isn’t optimised, businesses will sink if marketers don’t choose to strengthen their brand’s mobile experience.”

To see why the mobile experience matters, take a good look at the infographic below.

Mobile optimised websites are essential, but the trend is towards enhancing the experience with mobile apps. Is your business ready for this? Speak to AustAR Labs today about how you can start to get ready.

Many of Australia’s largest brands are coming up short in delivering the digital experiences their customers really want, a recent survey found.

Experts say staying competitive in the new digital economy means understanding how to deliver a delightful, personalised omni-channel customer journey. Yet SAP’s Australian Digital Experience report, revealed almost half of the report’s 3,000 respondents (47 per cent) were unsatisfied with the digital experiences delivered by 34 of the nation’s largest organisations. Of those consumers identified as unsatisfied with their digital experience, just 17 per cent stated they would remain loyal to the brand.

The report also identified a link between the digital experience and core business outcomes. Consistently across the brands assessed, poor digital experiences can translate to loss of customer loyalty and advocacy, two key metrics which impact on top-line revenue.

In contrast, if a brand can provide a strong digital experience, the picture is completely different. Of those consumers delighted with their digital experience, almost three quarters (73 per cent) said they would remain loyal.

“The first big takeout from the survey is that there is a gap between what the brands deliver and what the consumers expect,” President and Managing Director, of SAP Australia and New Zealand, John Ruthven, told CMO. “The research also shows that the gap matters. A delightful experience would result in a consumer four times more likely to remain loyal to that brand compared to the other end of the spectrum.”

The SAP report was based on consumers rating nearly 7,000 digital interactions against 13 core attributes of a delightful digital experience including engagement, personalisation, responsiveness and simplicity.

“In today’s digital world, the consumer is in full control,” Ruthven said. “Brands need a much deeper understanding of their digital-experience performance if they are to keep their customers and stay competitive.”

To meaningfully improve the digital experiences they deliver, the report stated that brands need to better engage with consumers and develop deeper insight into the service they expect. From the 13 digital experience attributes respondents rated, three key consumer preferences stand out that brands should focus on to improve their digital experience score:

Be who I am: Respondents want experiences that are dedicated to them as individuals, experiences that appeal to or even predict their preferences, but without infringing on their privacy.

Engage me: An engaging digital experience is one that responds to consumers and allows them to interact with and control the experience when needed. An engaging experience triggers an emotional response from the customer, building a stronger connection to the brand.

Simplify my life: Service that’s simple just works, and consumers expect this from the brands they interact with. A digital experience should be cohesive, integrated and easy. It has to fit in with the consumer’s life effortlessly, available anytime, anywhere.

The report also identified the 13 most important attributes for digital consumers, as can be seen in the graphic below.

The research revealed the significance of a brand’s digitally influential customers and those highly engaged and vocal on social media and online commerce. Though making up only 9 per cent of all respondents, these digital influencers delivered an extremely high digital experience score of positive 33 per cent across all industries, underscoring the importance for brands to cultivate the digital competency of their customer base.

“The perfect digital experience depends on how well brands understand and engage relevantly with their individual customers and at the same time, how well their processes and people are aligned to deliver,” Ruthven said. “Consistent across the best performing brands in our research is a data-driven approach to the digital experience that brings the front and back office together to delight the customer. This sets them apart from their competition.”

Who’s ahead and who’s lagging

While the industry analysis revealed the grocery retail industry is the leading performer when it comes to digital experiences, on the whole it had more unsatisfied consumers than ‘delighted’ ones. Banking and insurance were the next best performers, with telecommunications and utilities scoring lowest.

Suncorp Insurance scored highest for the digital experience attributes of available ‘anytime and on my terms’ (50 per cent) and ‘respectful and dedicated to my needs’ (34 per cent). Overall, the organisation scored positively across 11 of the 13 attributes. Suncorp Insurance also had a higher than average percentage of digitally influential customers at 13 per cent.

“Our customers are increasingly turning to the convenience of digital,” head of PI e-commerce and specialist brands for Suncorp Insurance, Ivan Owide, said. “Our focus is to ensure we deliver continuous improvement in the service we offer across all our platforms, with particular emphasis on the continuing rapid growth in mobile.”

Head of marketing for SAP Australia and New Zealand, Jennifer Arnold, said those brands engaging effectively understand the power of customer insights and know what customers want.

“Look at all the channels you are using right now, like social media, partners and market research and put it into a single view of your customer and understand the buyer behaviour and buyer journey,” she said. “It’s very different from a retail perspective, to a B2C perspective, to a B2B scenario.”

According to Ruthven, statistics in Australia for the last fiscal year revealed total ecommerce transaction were close to $20 billion. Importantly, the last six months of that was up 21 per cent compared to the prior year, he said.

“So we’ve seen an acceleration of the digital economy,” he added. “Moving forward, more and more transactions will be done this way. As a result, consumers are expecting a consistent and personalised experience in an omni-channel context, regardless of whether they coming from the storefront, shopping online or making inquiries over the phone.”

From a B2B perspective, Arnold claimed the proliferation of online purchase behaviour and the rise of the new digital economy has meant significant changes in buyer behaviour. In many cases, digital interaction is now the only interaction that a brand may have with their customers.

“Where we used to have customer calling us up asking for information or for a sales rep to come out and talk to them, now they come to us, pretty much with a shortlist and they’ve done all their education online and they’re engaging much later in the sales cycle,” she said. “We have to shift a lot of our focus to the digital experience.”

To remain competitive in the new digital economy, Ruthven said brands need to pay attention to really getting to know the customer, access data across all customer touchpoints and then personalise real-time offers.

“It is all about engaging your customer and ensuring there is an alignment of the way you interact across all of your channels,” he said. “We really believe the industry has moved past salesforce automation to really understanding your customer and having a tailored omni-channel experience.”

Share your experiences below

Do you have a poor digital experience story? Share that with AustAR Labs and its readers by posting it below.

]]>Why does my business need a mobile app?http://austarlabs.com.au/why-does-my-business-need-a-mobile-app/
Wed, 29 Jul 2015 22:07:40 +0000http://austarlabs.com.au/?p=3233If you already have a mobile-friendly website, is a mobile app a necessity? AustAR Labs says you only need one if you don’t want to fall behind the competition.

The single, most popular, mobile strategy question we get asked by businesses is, “Do we really need a mobile app?”.

The safest answer is always “Well, it depends…” but we hate that answer. So this blog presents a compelling argument that you do, indeed, need an app today, even if the pay-off happens tomorrow or day after tomorrow.

Do I really need a website?

About fifteen years ago, our CTO Salman decided to study web design. During the course, he and a classmate set up a small web design company.

After finishing their first job, and to get sales, they decided to go door-to-door to some businesses, asking if they needed a website. They would have knocked on at least a 100 doors, and not a single one was interested.

One of those door knocks stands out in Salman’s mind, even to this day. It was a restaurant on the main street in town, Salman relates. He asked to speak to the owner.

“Hi, my name is Salman. Are you the owner?”
“Yes.”
“Nice to meet you. I run a small web design shop, and I was wondering if your restaurant has a website.”
“No.”
“Would you guys be interested in having a website created?”
“No.”
“Can I ask why not?”
“We have a sign. We don’t need a website.”

Salman didn’t want to argue with the guy, and he was pretty nervous anyway, so he just walked out and went to the next store.

Today, we can all look back and chuckle at the owner’s ignorance. Of course he needed a website — he just didn’t know he needed one, because he didn’t understand the potential that a website held.

In all fairness, it was 2000. There was no Facebook, Groupon or YouTube. Digital photography was not readily available to the average person; so, most websites looked bad and functionality was worse. But, even so, most savvy business owners knew that having website was a good move.

The point is that while businesses in 2000 didn’t depend on websites and the internet as they do today, those that saw the potential and started building a web presence early benefited the most when consumers finally shifted their behaviour to be more digital.

This is exactly where we stand today with mobile apps.

The potential of apps

Those who think they don’t need a mobile app because their site is mobile friendly are missing the huge potential apps have over websites.

When was the last time a customer took a picture of your product with your website?

When was the last time your website notified a potential customer of a sale as they walked by your shop?

When was the last time your website told you how a customer felt when they saw your product for the first time?

When was the last time your site told you the name of that customer who just walked through your shop’s door?

When was the last time your site adjusted the price of an item based on a customer’s social influence?

When was the last time a customer tried your product on, virtually on your site?

Not only that, but new functionality that we haven’t really thought of is going to be available to apps much sooner than they are for an HTML-based website, if ever.

Even if you don’t take advantage of those features today, just being on the right platform gets you 80% there.

Living in the moment

You may be thinking, “Well, if some new killer technology comes to apps tomorrow, I’ll just build an app then. Why waste my time and energy today when it’ll basically do the same thing as my website?”

So let me ask a question: Which is easier? Getting 100,000 new people to find, download and sign up for your app, or getting 100,000 people who have already downloaded your app to update it?

I hope that you would say it’s easier to update your app. After all, you already have their mobile phone numbers, email address, and the platforms themselves prompt people to keep their apps up to date.

Even if you do nothing more than deliver a native reading experience for the content on your existing website, you can at least start building your app’s install-base today.

And with that install-base will come ratings, comments, feedback and usage metrics that build trust and credibility with the platforms in the same way that aged links do with older websites.

Then when the shift happens and consumers are looking for apps with that killer new feature, you can focus on simply updating your app with the new feature while your competition scrambles to find a developer who can start building them an app from scratch.

Don’t miss the boat

We’d like you to know one thing — building an app isn’t all roses. It takes a significant amount of time, money and energy to build an app that people want to download and use. Even after you build the app it will need to be marketed and supported by your company.

These are all elements that need to be figured out at some point and then planned for. It’s how companies stay competitive in today’s marketplace.

Another way to look at this is — if you can’t set aside the budget and resources for an app today, will you be able to do so when your sales are declining because customers “all of a sudden” decided that they prefer using your competitor’s app over your old website?

This is a not a tactical decision about whether $30,000 in app development has a greater return than $30,000 in website improvements. It’s a strategic decision to invest in a platform that can support the business infrastructure of tomorrow’s generation in the same way your website has supported your business for the last generation.

The app boat has already left the harbour. It’s not that you can’t wait for the next one, but if you do, is it going to delay your business to the point where you can’t catch up with the competition when you really need to?

What do you think?

Do you think that web technologies will keep pace with native mobile apps, or will apps ultimately force the retirement of its older web cousin?